One of the strengths of prehistoric archaeology is its ability to document the full range of huma... more One of the strengths of prehistoric archaeology is its ability to document the full range of human variation. For Latin America, activist archaeology has the potential to inform postcolonial and Third World feminist critiques that challenge white supremacist legal systems that marginalize women of color and indigenous peoples. The false universalisms and cultural essentialisms found in human rights debates ignore the diverse experiences of women’s oppression, especially the indigenous, poor, rural, disabled, and queer. Hegemonic models of the Mesoamerican past naturalize the oppression of women by employing colonial narratives regarding sex, gender and sexuality. The advocacy and activism of present day feminist archaeologists focus on decolonizing the discipline by documenting the fluid and contextual nature of pre-Columbian sex/gender systems, and demonstrating the agency and power of indigenous women in politics, religion and reproduction. In this paper, we ask the following questions: how do modern assumptions around sex, gender and sexuality find their ways into archaeological discussions of ancient Mesoamerican states? How do these narratives then become naturalized into discourses that perpetuate homophobic, sexist and racist legal systems? How can activist archaeology in Latin America both transform the discipline and potentially inform modern political debates?
Author(s): Patel, Shankari | Advisor(s): Patterson, Thomas C | Abstract: This dissertation explor... more Author(s): Patel, Shankari | Advisor(s): Patterson, Thomas C | Abstract: This dissertation explores the politics surrounding women's authority and power in the affairs of state governance and religion in ancient Mesoamerican societies. While the goal is to elucidate the political and social relations of pilgrimage practices in the Maya and Veracruz regions, this research notes that despite the abundant material evidence that points to women's leadership positions in the pilgrimage practices of the Postclassic period (A.D. 1000-1519), women remain absent from archaeological narratives. Using feminist and historical materialist methodologies it deconstructs archaeological stereotypes regarding the public vs. private spheres of ancient society, queries models of fertility that define women's social roles in terms of dependency, and interrogates narratives that link gender relations to nature where they are beyond critique. It utilizes archaeological, epigraphic, and iconogr...
One of the strengths of prehistoric archaeology is its ability to document the full range of huma... more One of the strengths of prehistoric archaeology is its ability to document the full range of human variation. For Latin America, activist archaeology has the potential to inform postcolonial and Third World feminist critiques that challenge white supremacist legal systems that marginalize women of color and indigenous peoples. The false universalisms and cultural essentialisms found in human rights debates ignore the diverse experiences of women’s oppression, especially the indigenous, poor, rural, disabled, and queer. Hegemonic models of the Mesoamerican past naturalize the oppression of women by employing colonial narratives regarding sex, gender and sexuality. The advocacy and activism of present day feminist archaeologists focus on decolonizing the discipline by documenting the fluid and contextual nature of pre-Columbian sex/gender systems, and demonstrating the agency and power of indigenous women in politics, religion and reproduction. In this paper, we ask the following questions: how do modern assumptions around sex, gender and sexuality find their ways into archaeological discussions of ancient Mesoamerican states? How do these narratives then become naturalized into discourses that perpetuate homophobic, sexist and racist legal systems? How can activist archaeology in Latin America both transform the discipline and potentially inform modern political debates?
Author(s): Patel, Shankari | Advisor(s): Patterson, Thomas C | Abstract: This dissertation explor... more Author(s): Patel, Shankari | Advisor(s): Patterson, Thomas C | Abstract: This dissertation explores the politics surrounding women's authority and power in the affairs of state governance and religion in ancient Mesoamerican societies. While the goal is to elucidate the political and social relations of pilgrimage practices in the Maya and Veracruz regions, this research notes that despite the abundant material evidence that points to women's leadership positions in the pilgrimage practices of the Postclassic period (A.D. 1000-1519), women remain absent from archaeological narratives. Using feminist and historical materialist methodologies it deconstructs archaeological stereotypes regarding the public vs. private spheres of ancient society, queries models of fertility that define women's social roles in terms of dependency, and interrogates narratives that link gender relations to nature where they are beyond critique. It utilizes archaeological, epigraphic, and iconogr...
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